In the Name of the Moon
by GantuShmantu
Summary: Time waits for no one. No matter how many times you let things play out in your head, a brand new world just might turn out a whole lot differently than one might expect. There is more to the story than what you think...the question is will you see the truth for what it really is?


Past Tense

Three days of an unrelenting, constant downpour left the grounds in a marshy state for as far as the eye could see and a sprawling field leading up to a series of coastal cliffs were no exception. Excess moisture had set in and the soil was at the mercy of the elements, a series of dampened and muddled thuds coming fast from the east. Two saddled and manned horses sped through the landscape without a moment's hesitation, learning first hand of the less than ideal conditions as their reins were pulled and they slid a clear ten feet before coming to a stop. Each of the beasts let out an exasperated whine as they became restless, each of their masters giving them an appreciative pat on the head to calm their nerves. The night was fast approaching and amongst the starlight sky and the eerily perfect glow of the moon stood an array of lights that were twinkling in such a state of man-made precision. Just seconds after taking notice of the spectacle, they were dimmed to obscurity without a moment's hesitation.

"My lord, are you certain that this is a good idea?" The one man said to the other as he lowered himself down from his steed, his partner a much younger fellow than himself who appeared on edge. At his fullest attention and ready to defend, yet his attire a robe of muted colors that looked well cared for and his hands like that of someone who hadn't seen the brunt of life's misfortunes. His eyes were transfixed on the moon and his dominant hand firmly grasping a sheathed sword sticking out and off to the side of his clothing.

"Yes, Akihama. Just as certain as you are of your pride in these lands. As long as you follow my lead you and I will be most safe." The young man reassured his companion before he dismounted to follow suit with his master, a faint glimmer from the stars above casting light on the older gentleman's full outfit of plated armor that covered every inch of his body from chin to toe.

"But how shall we know when they are coming?" He spoke in an uneasy tone just before the lights of a few minutes earlier returned brighter than ever and a surge of electricity struck the ground.

"They're here." The young lord answered as a weak smile crept up on him and from the otherworldly illumination that had been left behind by the strike, two slender figures emerged just as it faded away.

"You've requested an audience with our queen?" One of the two spoke in a rather authoritative manner that made the subtle smile break as he realized that neither of the two women that now stood before him were who he expected them to be.

"We have, yes. My name is prince Endyimion and it is important that I speak to Queen Serenity, as it is a matter of life or death." He explained to what he assumed to be two members of the queen's guard, as they stood proudly and wore their uniform attire yet had not seen it fit to give either of their names.

"The Queen is a busy woman, we do not know of how much time she will be willing to give you, but your audience is approved." She said with an outstretch hand, Akihama immediately taking notice.

"Calm yourself, I will be alright, your duty is only just beginning." He exclaimed with a wave of the hand as he pointed back to his horse. "I need you to return and gather our men, tell them that they are needed elsewhere and that I shall see them soon."

"Your father would never approve of this..." He stated plainly. "Endyimion!"

"Then why don't you ask him what we should do." He defensively spat back at him.

With a heaviness lingering in the air on all sides he left the silence to drown out their disagreement and walked over towards the two women. Taking their hands in his own and forming a small chain, they looked up towards the forever enrapturing glow of the suns pale opposite. One of the two had began murmuring something to herself while the other had began noticing a sense of discomfort on the face of the young man, who was beginning to sweat profusely from his brow. What she hadn't known was that what they were about to do was quite an unknown for him, and he was being thrust into a situation entirely out of his comprehension. Not exactly sure at first what to say to him to put his mind at ease, she cleared her throat to draw his gaze her way and offered him a brief look of warmth and good favor...and for the moment it was enough for him.

"Have you done this before?" She asked him with her face turned sideways in a quizzical fashion.

"No, is it that obvious?" He admitted with a bit of embarrassment, becoming slightly unnerved when a body of blinding light engulfed the three of them and all the of the world outside this sphere of illumination ceased to exist.

"Whatever you do, don't break the circle..." A second voice warned. It was the other woman who had been quiet for the most part during this whole exchange, becoming silent again just as suddenly.

"Sorry..." He chirped. The void surrounding them intensifying for just an instant before bleeding out into nothingness and allowing the rest of their new landscape to come into full view. The monarch had heard of stories that followed closely behind these people, but they had never become much more than tall tales of gods and monsters alike. Yet now as he did a full panoramic spin to survey his locale the heavenly effervescence from a myriad of silver towers kept him rooted to the ground. "What...is this place?"

"This is the Silver Millennium, the kingdom of Queen Serenity herself, and we need to get moving so we don't keep her waiting." She replied. "You should feel honored."

"Why's that?" He wondered. Matching pace with his two escorts as he was lead towards the largest of the builds which was a straight shot from their current location, a sea of watchful eyes all trained on him as if he were the enemy. All those eyes belonging to women in respectfully elegant, yet simple attire which hadn't taken his attention away from the issue plaguing him for long.

"You are the first man to see our kingdom in a thousand years, and if it weren't for your connections I can assure you that this meeting would not be happening right now." She proclaimed all the while looking over at a silver chain dangling off the lord's neck which she hadn't realized was there until a short while ago. The piece itself came down to the man's collarbone and not an inch further, and it bore a bit of pure silver carved flawlessly into the shape of a crescent moon. It was far kinglier than anything he had on him, and one of very few notions that would give away his true heritage... and yet the trinket was not his own.

"I see..." The quieter of the two women left them and they continued down a long and winding stretch of miraculously beautiful roads made of marble.

It was something so removed from the likes of all possibility in the way that it stood as one single, unbroken piece the entire way down as if it hadn't been tainted by the hands of man. There were verandas and balconies aplenty as they began the home stretch and finally reached their destination in stride. Endyimion gave a slight nod as his escort held the door open for him before ducking in herself just as the door closed behind them. There was a soft piano being played in the background without a single instrument or performer being within their sights, and the full scope of the palace-like abode lay before them. An open expanse with support columns on either side that had such radiance that even they had seemed to be more of style than function, and right in the middle of it all stood one of the most frightening things that the prince had ever witnessed. A mound of sculpted crystal fragments all meshed together to form a jagged and oddly distorted throne that let even the smallest bit of light pass through it like a prism.

"Good evening, prince Endyimion. To what do I owe such a pleasure?" Said a woman standing no more than five feet tall with long, flowing locks of silver that clashed with the lively and youthful nature of her skin. Her voice with such a cold and lifeless delivery that he was worried if there would be anything he might say that would be of worth to her.

"We have reason to believe that your people are in serious danger, and we are willing to help you if the need arises." He said with a minor dip of his head to show his respect to her as both a queen and a lady.

"We are aware of what you speak, they are most likely just beyond the horizon, now." She calmly exclaimed without fully making eye contact with him, but when she did look up he realized that her attention was on the necklace. "At what price would such assistance come?"

"None. All we would ask is that you do the same for us, in return." His voice was growing all the shakier the longer she held onto such a sour and unabating disposition.

"Is this the wish of your king...or your own?" Queen Serenity let her eyes lock with his own for ten seconds without falter without so much as a single blink.

"My Queen! I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but your daughter is waiting patiently outside by the gardens and requests to speak with you." A harsh voice chimed in with the ashy tone of a man who had picked up a pipe long ago and not once put it down. Sprawling and scraggily facial hair stretched down to his neck and curled to the effect that he hadn't cared for it much at all. To say that the dingy and torn rags covering his bony body were clothing would have been far too generous and a bit misleading, and yet his presence demanding the attention of the queen.

"Yes, you're quite right. I must go." She politely grinned at Endyimion before rising from her chair to leave the room and attend matters elsewhere, but not before stopping just shy of the exit and turning to face him for one last word. "Your services will not be needed at this time, young prince. I suggest that you tell your men that they are not welcome in this city. My servant will show you the way out."

"She isn't always that way, young man, trust me in that much." He remarked seconds after seeing the door shut behind her on her way out. He let out a sigh of relief as he continued to listen in on the rhythmic nature of her footsteps growing more distant by the second, shaking his head before offering his hand towards the young man as if to start all over again.

"I would surely hope so." He replied with an awkward laugh as he tried to make light of the situation.

"The name's Hebiko, and as the queen has already said...I am her servant. I'm supposed to show you the door, but I think your time here would be wasted if you left so soon, wouldn't you think?" His words danced around on the tip of his tongue

"Are you not intimidated by her? If anything, you seemed to keep her on edge?" The prince questioned as the decrepit man motioned for him to follow across the room towards a broad curtain. Pulling it to the side with a wild motion of the hands, he extended his arm outward towards a hallway that been hidden by the decorative piece up until now.

"Boy, I've learned that the things we fear most aren't what we know...it's what we don't know." He answered with a slow and suspenseful delivery as he licked his chapped and cracked lips. "The things I know about the queen might change the way most people think of her, but that doesn't make her scary...it just makes her wrong."

"Like what, exactly?" He asked, furrowing his brow a bit.

"Well...ah, I know just the thing." He trailed on while ducking into an open doorway and looking around at a what appeared to be little more than a library, except for the shelves designated for trophies which each had a small placard designating what it was. His disgustingly slender fingers snaked themselves around a small wooden box on one of the outermost shelves and pulled it down for him to see. "Do you know what this is, young man?"

"A keepsake? A small jewelry box, perhaps?" He offered with his pupils dilating in his own curiosity.

"This is Odessa's Parcel..." Finishing the sentence with a soft whistle in his voice and his face drained of all semblance of humor. "It's a weapon capable of more destruction than you could ever dream of."

"What does it...do?" He inquired further. Not long after finishing that thought he takes a step closer to examine the object in greater detail, taking note of the minutia of outlining and carving work put into such precision on a small canvas. There was writing of some sort scrolling along the edges of the piece in a language that did not appear familiar to Endyimion, his fingers tracing over the indentations from the individual marks themselves.

"A better question is what it can't do, young prince. For as the legend states, it has the power to transform the world around us just as much as it can destroy it. In this little box is power enough to turn the tide for any battle in the known universe." Hebiko claimed with a moment of silence paralyzing them both.

"If that's the case...then why hasn't it been used?" He had been perceptive enough to take notice of the layers of dust on most of the items in the room.

"It's too dangerous...and also the queen has taken it upon herself to lock it." He pointed to a small hole on the underside of the box that would be too perfect a hole to be anything but man-made.

"Then why show it to me in the first place." He asked of him with a hint of annoyance at his actions.

"You came here to ask the queen for her support in helping to save your people from imminent destruction... afraid of an unknown terror just out of reach, and yet you never once wondered if maybe she didn't want to help your people. Did you?" He replied with an antagonistic sneer.


End file.
